Rival Factions in Libyan Capital Battle for Control of Main Airport

CAIRO — Rival militias in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, fought for control of the city’s main airport on Sunday, leaving at least six people dead and causing the cancellation of international flights, officials said.

The fighting, with rockets, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, was some of the fiercest in the capital in months and an urgent reminder of the chaos prevailing in the country: Nearly three years after the death of Libya’s dictator, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the fighters who rebelled against him remained locked in a struggle for control of territory, resources and critical facilities, sidelining the central government.

The United Nations mission in Libya, which began to withdraw staff members last week because of security concerns, accelerated that withdrawal on Sunday, said a staff member who was not authorized to speak to the news media. A United Nations spokesman did not immediately return a call.

The deadliest of Libya’s recent fighting has occurred in the eastern city of Benghazi, where troops loyal to an army general named Khalifa Hifter are battling other armed militias, as part of what Mr. Hifter says is a national campaign to eradicate Libya’s powerful Islamist politicians and fighters. The clashes have opened new divisions across the country and aggravated Libya’s violence.

Those divisions appeared to play a role in the Tripoli clashes on Sunday, which also involved militias with a history of animosity. The international airport in Tripoli, a strategic prize, has been under the control of fighters from the western mountain town of Zintan since 2011. Early Sunday, rival militias in western Libya, including those from the coastal city of Misurata, attacked the Zintani brigades at the airport and other sites in Tripoli. In addition to the six dead, at least 25 people were wounded.

Libya has become a source of intensifying alarm for its neighbors, including Egypt. They are worried about the flow of weapons from Libya’s vast stores, as well as fighters, across their borders. Attempts to mediate disputes between rival factions in Libya, by international allies including by the United States, have so far failed.

In an unusually pointed statement on Saturday, the State Department expressed frustration with the relentless fighting, urging the quick seating of a new Parliament. “Libya’s future will not be secured through force of arms,” said Jen Psaki, a State Department spokeswoman, adding that “dangerous posturing” by the quarreling parties could lead to “widespread conflict.”

Osama al-Fitory contributed reporting from Tripoli, Libya.

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